Mexican sex comedy

Lyn May, in 1975, an actress referring to this stage of Mexican cinema

Mexican sex comedies (generally known as Ficheras film or Sexicomedias) are films within the comedy film genre of the Mexican cinema industry, though in a class of their own. The storylines typically revolve around themes of sexploitation and "Mexploitation"[citation needed]. They are mostly recognized as low-quality films with fairly low budgets. The genre peaked in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the films had sexually suggestive plots and used numerous comedic innuendos and double entendres, they were not overtly explicit, and were never considered to be pornographic. Furthermore, it was not uncommon for the male characters in these films to comedically fail in their attempts to win over, or have sex with, the female characters. When a man was successful in wooing a woman, the performances were deliberately over-exaggerated and pantomime-like, aiming to generate laughter more than arousal. The genre is similar to, and possibly influenced by, Italian erotic comedies.[1] The popular term "ficheras films" came from the film Las ficheras, produced and released in 1975, which told the stories and experiences of many dancing women who entertained men at nightclubs.

The settings and plots of these films tended to be simple, usually dealing with the sexual escapades of working-class Mexicans. The male leads were often construction workers, bricklayers, truck drivers or even unemployed petty scammers, while the female leads were often nightclub dancers, waitresses or prostitutes in small brothels. Other female lead roles included unfaithful wives, women with a busy sex life, or "everyday" women. The films were not generally appropriate for children, and frequently received classification as being unsuitable for minors under the age of 18.

Some of the films of this Mexican genre included El rey de las ficheras, La pulquería, Muñecas de medianoche, Bellas de noche, and Entre ficheras anda el diablo.

The best-known Mexican and international actors and actresses who were known to have participated in ficheras films were:

  1. ^ "1976-1982: Los años de las "Ficheras"". Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-12-17.